Intelligent Tech Channels Issue 34 | Page 32

FUTURE TECHNOLOGY

Prospect of li-ion battery development and application in data centres

With lithium battery usage increasing globally , Wangbo , Marketing Director of Huawei UPS , tells us about the key benefits of this power source in a data centre setting and highlights some safety considerations and assurances .
Wangbo , Marketing Director of Huawei UPS

Wcommunications industry for decades .

Why are lithium batteries needed ?
Lead-acid batteries have dominated the
But , due to disadvantages such as a short cycle life , large size , high requirements on load-bearing capacity and environmental pollution in the production process , the development of lead-acid batteries is shrinking in several countries . Indeed , telecom giant , China Tower , has even decided to halt bids for lead-acid batteries . Lithium batteries offer several advantages , such as high energy density , a small footprint and a long cycle life . As the market share of lead-acid batteries decreases rapidly , lithium battery usage is increasing around the globe . Lithium batteries are used in almost all 5G sites , alongside their wide use in the data centres of some large ISPs outside China . The market share of lithium batteries is predicted to approach or exceed that of leadacid batteries in the next three to five years . It is widely agreed that lithium batteries will dominate the market in the future .
Basic concepts for lithium batteries
Working principle
Typically , a lithium-ion battery uses lithium alloy metal oxide as the cathode material , graphite as the anode material and contains non-aqueous electrolytes .
Cathode material : There are many optional cathode materials . The mainstream products are lithium iron phosphate ( LFP ), nickel cobalt manganese ( NCM ) or nickel cobalt aluminum ( NCA ).
Anode material : Graphite is predominantly used .
LFP battery example : Cathode reaction : Lithium-ions are
embedded during discharge and deintercalated during charge . Charge : LiFePO4 → Li1-xFePO4 + xLi + + xe- Discharge : Li1-xFePO4 + xLi + + xe- → LiFePO4 Anode reaction : Lithium-ions are deintercalated during discharge and embedded during charge . Charge : xLi + + xe- + 6 C → LixC6 Discharge : LixC6 → xLi + + xe- + 6 C
Battery Classification ( by Cathode Material )
LiCoO 2
( LCO )
LiMnO 2
( LMO )
LiFePO 2
( LFP )
LiNiCoMnO 2
( NCM )
Which lithium batteries are recommended for data centres ?
Currently , mainstream lithium batteries in the industry include LCO , LMO , LFP and NCM
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